Fantasy basketball is a game in which participants act as owners and managers of virtual professional basketball teams. Contestants select their rosters by entering a draft where all relevant National Basketball Association (NBA) players are available.
Fantasy Points are awarded in weekly matchups based on actual performances of basketball players in real-world competitions. The game usually involves the NBA, but other leagues such as the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) or the NCAA may also be involved.
In the decades following the success of early fantasy leagues such as Rotisserie League Baseball, the concept of applying the fantasy format to sports other than baseball and American football grew in popularity. This trend was due in large part to improved ways to easily calculate and access sports statistics over the internet.
In 2014, the NBA invested in daily fantasy sports company FanDuel. At the time, the legality of everyday fantasy sports was not widely recognized. Following the 2018 United States Supreme Court decision in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, which allowed states to legalize sports betting, questions about the legality of day-to-day fantasy sports, as well as fantasy sports in general, have been raised in the United States, however, has been widely billed. As of August 2022, FanDuel will host daily fantasy competitions, including basketball competitions, in 44 US states.